Collection details 

We maintain over 1,000,000 photographs, slides, and digital images. Many of these images focus on agricultural and rural life or Iowa State University.

Collection highlights 

  • Agriculture and Rural Life photograph collections: These collections contain significant numbers of images related to Iowa's agriculture, rural life, and local history. Some may also include images of the larger Midwest region.
  • University Photograph Collection: This collection consists of photographic images of the university, its faculty, staff, and students. Most images are in black and white, with newer images in color. 
  • University Slide Collection: This collection of 35 mm slides, largely from the university's Photo Services Unit, includes mostly color images depicting the university, faculty, staff, and students. Older images are often reproductions of images found in the University Photograph Collection.
  • Additional university photograph and slide collections of note include 
    • University Postcard Collection
    • University Photographer Collection, 2000-2015 (contact University Archives)
    • University Marketing Photography - Brand Standards (modern stock images)
    • Engineering Communications and Marketing Department Photographs and Slides, 1897-2006 (RS 11/1/8)
    • Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station Agricultural Engineering Photographs, 1942-1970 (RS 9/2/6)
    • College of Business Photographs and Slides, 1984-2001 (RS 27/1/5)
    • College of Design Photographs and Slides, 1976-2000 (RS 26/1/4)

Access

Along with the highlighted collections, photographs may be found throughout SCUA's collections in scrapbooks and alongside paper records. Search CARDinal for more information.

Selected images from SCUA's collections are available online in our Digital Collections. Non-digitized images are available for viewing in our Reading Room.

Learn about how you can create or request reproductions of images from SCUA's collections for use in various ways.